What once was mine
by Left my heart in Paris
Summary: Almost a year after Jenny's 'death', Jasper Shepard comes out of witness protection in search for his daughter only to have one special agent Gibbs tell him the news, but then how did she send her father a letter only a week ago? Now Gibbs and Jasper must work together to find the truth about the women they both love. major Jibbs and Jasper and Jenny father daughter.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story idea that came to me months ago, I have most of it p****dea that came to me months ago, i ****lanned out apart from the end. I recently got Jasper S, or Jasper Shepard added to the NCIS character list so everyone can now label him to stories with Jenny's dad in. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

What once was mine

His heart was beating fast in his chest, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. His chest felt so tight he could hardly breath, but he had to do this, he had to do it for her and for his sanity.

He loved her so he had to continue walking, as much as what he was going to do could hurt him, it could also bring hope back into his life, something he hadn't had in the last twenty years of his dark life of hiding in the shadows. Pretending to be someone he wasn't.

The years he'd spent away from the only person left on the earth that meant anything to him, the only person he had left who gave a damn about him and he'd let her down, he'd hurt her more than he ever thought forgivable and that's why he had to do this.

Walking up the building, he looked up, it was bigger than it had looked in the pictures, he took a deep breath as he read the big bold black letters above the door 'NCIS' is said and then in smaller words underneath it read 'Naval Criminal Investigative Service'. She'd been in control of all of this.

"Excuse me Sir do you need any help?" an female voice, thick with some sort of middle eastern accent got his attention, the older man turned and saw her, she had thick brown hair tied up in a ponytail showing her widows peak proudly. Her soft brown eyes and the NCIS special agent badge clipped to her waist let him know he could trust her.

"I need to find a Special agent Gibbs" he told her.

The women's eyes lit up "He is my team leader, I'll take you to him" she told him before leading the man into the headquarters.

He passed through all the security measures easily and waited patiently for Ziva to get him a visitors badge and before he knew it he was following the young women out of the elevator and into a large room, the length of the whole building, full of desks each one with a computer, dividers separating them into units, there was stairs at one end that lead up to large double doors with 'MTAC written in large black letters and the walls were a loud bright orange.

"Gibbs" Ziva called as she walked to an area with four desks with computers and phone. He looked around at the men sitting behind the desk, he wondered which one was this 'Special agent Gibbs' he'd heard so much about.

One man was tall had dark brown hair and hazel eyes and judging by the amount of hair gel and the strong smell of cologne that he could smell the guy obviously cared a lot about how he looked and spent a lot of money on it and he had a play boy air about him.

Next to the play boy sat a skinnier and slightly scrawnier looking, almost too skinny, short dirty blond hair and green eyes, he was typing intently away at his computer so he got the gist this guy was a bit of a computer geek.

The final man was older than the others, closer to his own age, his hair was salt and pepper, his was jaw chiselled, blue eyes. He dressed more casually than the others. He knew then that this had to be Gibbs, there was no way it could have been the other two men.

"What Ziva" the man he was looking at spoke making him smile.

"This man" Ziva said pointing at the older man beside her "He needs to talk to you" she continued.

Gibbs turned and looked at the older man in front of him, he recognised him a little bit but couldn't put his finger on it, he recognised the man's eyes they were a familiar green but it was still a muddle to him. "Who are you?" Gibbs asked him.

"My Name is Jasper Shepard or at least it used to be" the older man spoke up.

The whole team were in a state of shock, he was dead, the man in front of them was a ghost.

"You're…." Tony began but Jasper cut him off.

"Dead, I know, I've been kept in witness protection" Jasper explained "I'm here to see my daughter, I was told that you" he said turning to Gibbs, "Could take me to her" he said.

Gibbs went pale, it had been almost a year and he still couldn't take it, it still broke his heart every time he thought about it, "Uh come with me" Gibbs got out of his chair and ushered Jasper over to the windows where they could have privacy when Gibbs gave him the news that he was about to give him.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, almost fearing what the younger man was going to tell him.

"I uh, Jenny, she….she" Gibbs began taking a gulp and then a deep breath before continuing "Jenny died about a year ago, in a crossfire" He admitted, not wanting to give Jenny's father, the man she loved more than anyone, the man she'd spent years trying to avenge, the lies about Jenny's death, that wouldn't be fair to her memory.

"No" Jasper shook his head "That is impossible"

"No, I assure you it's true" Gibbs told him firmly.

"She sent me a letter last week" Jasper said producing an envelope from his jacket pocket.

Gibbs scanned over the letter, it was her hand writing, singed by Jenny and was dated only a week ago, but how could that be true, she was dead wasn't she?

TBC…

**I hope you guys like, please review it would mean so much.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Are you sure it's from Jen?" Gibbs asked Jasper Shepard who still stood in front of him. The NCIS agent just couldn't believe there was a still a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe he hadn't lost the women he loved for a second and permanent time.

Jasper noticed how Gibbs called his daughter by the nick name she'd always hated 'Jen', it made him wonder how close he had been to Jenny, was there something that neither of them were telling him. She'd never mentioned Gibbs before only in this one letter saying that if he ever needed to find her that he should go to this man first, for help.

"Yes I'm sure, she's sent me a letter everyone month for the past two years after she found out I was in witness protection after she began to hunt down Rene Benoit" Jasper assured Gibbs "I know it's her" he stressed to the agent. "She told me to come to you and that you'd help me find her" he added.

Gibbs ran a tired hand down his face, he loved Jenny, he'd always love her nothing was going to change that not death but why, oh why did she always have to make things harder for him, she knew from the moment she put that ink to paper and sent her father to find him that he wouldn't stop until he found her.

"Do you have any idea where she could be?" Gibbs asked Jasper as they began to walk back to his team.

"Until you told me I didn't even know that she was supposedly died!" Jasper almost yelled at Gibbs "As far as I'm aware she was living in the George town house I left her here in D.C" he said just as Gibbs turned on his heels in the middle of the bullpen and looked at him regretfully "Did she sell it?" Jasper asked reading Gibbs' face, outraged that she could let go of a family heir loom, that centuries of Shepard's had lived in.

"There was an accident after her death, it got burnt down" Gibbs informed him once again regretfully.

"Oh aren't you just the barer of good news today!" Jasper added again, his temper flaring. Tony was sure the vein at the side of his head was going to burst.

"Mr Shepard why don't you sit down" Ziva suggested as she got up from her chair and wheeled it towards the older man, "I'll get you some water" she added as Jasper took the chair, burying his head in his hands, beginning to feel sick, everything was happening so fast, it was hard to take it all in.

Moments later the elevator doors opened and Abby came skipping out, her pigtails bouncing and she walked and slurped loudly on the caf-pow in her hand. "Hey what's all the hubbub I could hear yelling all the way down in my lab?" she asked not having noticed the man about the same age as Gibbs' dad sitting in Ziva's chair trying to calm himself down.

"Uh Abs I have something for you" Gibbs said holding out the letter that Jasper had got from Jenny "Is there any way you could find out the address of where this came from?" he asked her "Or finger prints or anything, just find us who this was sent from" he continued.

"Okay" Abby nodded "It might take a couple of hours" she added as she took the letter and then turned on her heels and began to walk away when she noticed the older man, she looked over at Tony and Tim and whispered in their direction "Is he okay?"

"He's fine" Tim assured the Goth with a smile.

Abby nodded and despite what Tim had said decided to approach the man anyway "Excuse me sir are you alright?" She asked him.

Jasper looked up, his eyes meeting Abby's and he watched her face as her mind began to recall who he reminded her of, she'd seen his face before a little younger perhaps and in an army uniform "Your supposed to be dead" Abby mumbled.

Jasper almost laughed "I was in witness protection" he told her "And who are you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am it's who you are!" Abby almost yelled at him, angry surging from her heart "You come out of the woodwork a year after your daughter died, a year, she never got to know that you were alive, what sort of father are you?" She began to ramble but then she felt an arm on her shoulder. "Do you know what it's like to not know your parents, to have them ripped away from you and to only find out none of it was real" The Goth began to vent her own feelings.

"Calm down Abby" Gibbs told her in the calmest voice he could muster, satisfied once she'd taken a deep breath, he pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "The letter might be from Jenny, she might be alive" he told her calmly, not wanting Abby to get her hopes up too high "Could you run the tests for us please?" he asked her.

Abby tried hard not to smile not to laugh and cry, was it possible that there might be hope for Gibbs and Jenny to get a happily ever after again? "If she's in witness protection I probably won't have anything until tomorrow or late tonight" she told him, Gibbs nodded understandingly and then she was on her way.

….

As she suspected Abby hadn't got any hits on the finger prints and it was getting late into the night, everyone had left apart from Gibbs and his team. The leader watched as each member struggled to keep their eyes open. "You guys go home, get some sleep" he told them after a moment.

Tony shot up from where he had been slumped in his chair "I wasn't sleeping boss" he protested having miss heard what Gibbs had said.

Ziva smiled at the Italian before grabbing her coat and turning to him "Come on Tony, I'll drive you home" she told him before leading a tired Tony out of the bullpen and Tim followed soon after.

Gibbs then turned to Jasper "You have a hotel or anything booked?" he asked.

"I didn't think of it, I just wanted to see my daughter" he sighed almost sadly, it had been something he'd been so looking forward to, "I guess I'll have to find one" he sighed.

"You can stay with me" Gibbs told him motioning for him to follow, Jasper shed a little smile before grabbing his coat and fedora and followed the older man to the elevator. He was a good man, maybe he could trust him to look after Jenny, if and when they found her.

Soon both men arrived at Gibbs' house with Chinese food in hand. While Gibbs was getting bedding for the sofa Jasper looked around his house.

It was minimal and could do with a lick of paint, everything seemed to be covered in a thin layer of dust, the television and other technological devices were very out of date. What Jasper had noticed was that Gibbs had three pictures on his mantel, one of a redhead women and an auburn haired girl about the age of seven or eight.

Another was one of the two men and the women who'd yelled at him but also with another women with brown hair and brown eyes and an older man around his age obviously at Christmas due to the goofy hat Tony was wearing.

The third and final picture was the one that confused him, it was a hazy picture of what must have been the Eiffel tower at night and there seemed to be a fuzzy figure that he couldn't quite make out standing underneath it. Jasper wondered why the ex-marine would keep such a strange picture on display.

Gibbs shifted from the doorway gaining Jasper's attention, "You sure you don't want the bed?" he asked his guest.

"The sofa will be fine" Jasper assured him, Gibbs nodded before putting the pillow and folded blanket on the end of the sofa. "So you knew Jenny well?" Jasper asked Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded, thinking of the first time he met her, how he'd been so adamant that he couldn't work with her and that he wouldn't work with her only to have her call him a chauvinist pig and told him to suck it up. She had fire and that's what attracted him to her in the first place, "She was my probie and then partner in an OP in Europe" he admitted "Six years later, she's the director" he continued.

Jasper nodded "Was she good at her job?" he asked, he'd always known she was very driven and passionate about whatever she did but he'd never thought of her as a capable person to kill people even if they weren't innocent.

"She's the best probie I've ever had, a fast learner, most reliable partner and the best Director NCIS has ever seen" Gibbs assured him, wanting Jasper to be proud of what his daughter had achieved, all she'd ever really wanted was to make her father proud, even if she didn't think he was still with them.

The older man smiled, his green eyes shining with emotion, it reminded Gibbs so much of Jenny, it almost made him more determined to find her.

"Night" Gibbs told Jasper before he turned to leave.

"Do you love her?" Jasper asked making Gibbs stop in the doorway, but the ex-marine didn't turn around, he didn't answer he just took a deep breath gave a slight nod and headed up the stairs to sleep.

TBC…

**I hope you guys like,**

**Should Jasper have another wife and if so should they have a kid who will be like a teenager so Jenny would have a half brother or sister? Up to you guys, answer in your reviews or PM please**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gibbs' blue eyes shot open, his breathing rapid, his heart thumping against his rib cage almost painfully.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream, he repeated this to himself in an attempt to calm him and gave his heart a chance to stop beating so fast.

It had been a nightmare. It had started off as the one he commonly had about Shannon and Kelly dying in front of him and he wasn't able to move to save them, their screams of pain filling his head. Instead of scaring or upsetting him as it used to do, it gave him comfort in the fact that it wasn't how they died and that they were at peace.

What did affect him though, was how the dream twisted and changed, how instead of Shannon and Kelly it had turned into Jenny. She had stood in front of him , looking like she had the last time he'd seen her in her office when she told him about Decker's death. She'd looked happy to see him and had told him as much.

He'd reached out to touch her only to find now the whole of him couldn't move, Svetlana came out of nowhere and held a knife to her throat and hadn't hesitated to slit it.

Jenny's body fell to the floor and he watched helplessly as the life slowly drained out of her green eyes before Gibbs woke with a start.

Gibbs shook his head to clear the nightmare from his mind, Svetlana was dead. Jenny was alive. Possibly. He didn't know anymore because whenever he thought about her or the possibility she was alive, his stomach was in knots, he couldn't tell what his gut was telling him. He almost groaned why did he feel like an acne ridden teen at the mention of her name?

The sharp smell of coffee reached his nostrils, then he remembered that he had a house guest and guests daughter to find and possibly the women Gibbs loved.

….

Fifteen minutes later Gibbs walked into his kitchen, having showered and changed into his usual work attire, he was surprised to find Jasper Shepard sitting at the kitchen table talking on the phone to someone.

"I know….Me too" Jasper replied to the person on the other end of the phone as he noticed Gibbs standing in the doorway eyeing him suspiciously. "I'll call tonight, love you, bye" Jasper ended the conversation putting the phone down.

Gibbs walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug of coffee and took a sip, letting it's heat and bitterness wake him up.

Jasper knew that wouldn't ask but wanted to know who he had been talking to, so decided to clear the air "I met Susan a month after I went into witness protection" he started.

"I didn't…" Gibbs began but the older man cut him off.

"You should know" Jasper told Gibbs "I told her about my past, about Jenny and despite it all she accepted it, she even married me" he smiled fondly "I loved Jenny's mother, I still love Carolyn and will do to my dying day, but that doesn't mean I can't still love Susan" Jasper continued not wanting Gibbs to judge him for moving on.

"I understand" Gibbs assured him and Jasper couldn't help get the feeling that the younger man really did.

"Does Jenny know about Susan?" Gibbs asked after a moment as he leant against the kitchen counter, his mug of coffee in one hand.

"No, I couldn't…I thought it was more of a face to face thing" Jasper admitted, his eyes not reaching Gibbs' blue. Gibbs nodded although he wasn't sure how Jenny would react to her father having moved on.

"In Jenny's letters did she ever talk about her living situation or work?" Gibbs asked Jenny's father, his want for finding her growing by the minute.

Jasper shook his head but then a look of sudden realisation hit him "She said something about a lake, a lake that I took her to shortly after her mother died, I taught her how to fish, you should have seen her face when she caught her first fish" Jasper began to smile fondly at the memory, the smile taking years off of his face "She was such a sweet child, always smiling, always laughing, had the prettiest red hair, just like her mother" he continued.

Gibbs thought for a moment, smiling and laughing, the last time she'd been like that had been….well it had been during their OP, their undercover mission, where he'd fallen in love with her, where he'd learnt that he could love Jenny without having to betray his love for Shannon.

"Come on, we should get to NCIS" Gibbs grunted before moving out of the kitchen, Jasper watched the younger man and wondered what history he'd had with Jenny, he knew that Gibbs had hinted at being in love with her but how well did this man actually know his daughter? He wondered if Jenny had loved Gibbs.

….

An awkward twenty minute drive later, full of nothing to break the silence other than the deep rumble of the car's engine, they arrive at NCIS.

After Gibbs had got Jasper sorted with a visitors badge they headed to Abby's lab to see if she'd got anything off of the envelope or letter.

Jasper cringed at the sound of the heavy death metal music as they approached the lab. However Gibbs didn't seem bothered, he just continued to casually stroll into the lab and slam the vibrant red caffeenfilled drink on her desk in front of her.

Abby spun round with the stereo remote in her hand and turned the music down "Good morning Gibbs" she greeted him before looking over his shoulder at Jasper and eyed him "I see Mr Shepard or should I say Stanford is still here" she almost growled.

"Please call me Jasper" Jasper asked her "Joseph Stanford is my witness protection name" he explained.

Abby didn't reply, instead she went to grab her drink but Gibbs' swatted her hand away and Gibbs gave her a glare that told her 'play nice'. Abby sighed, if Gibbs thought Jasper could be trusted and was a good cookie then she could to "Well then good morning Jasper" she sheepishly smiled at him.

"Good morning Abby" Jasper smiled at her, wanting to change her mind, wanting to get to know someone who knew his daughter, who was his daughter's friend.

"Did you get anything from the envelope?" Gibbs asked getting the Goth back to the matter in hand.

Abby shook her head as she turned back to her computer and began to type madly away "I struck a brick wall" she told both the men as they came either side of her looking at the screen "there was a partial print under the stamp but I didn't match anyone in any data records" Abby told Gibbs "It's almost like whoever it is doesn't exist" she continued.

"Witness protection would do that" Gibbs mumbled before turning to Jasper "You two stay here and use that program thingy you used in the case with Boon to try and find similar places to that pond she talked about" Gibbs told them before walking out of the lab leaving Abby and Jasper together alone.

"What do you know about Gibbs and Jennifer's relationship?" Jasper asked Abby after a moment, once he was sure the special agent with supersonic hearing couldn't hear them.

Abby broke out into a grin "They're perfect for each other right" Abby's voice grew a pitch higher "They always flirted with each other when she was director, all I know is they were partners but more than partners if you know what I mean, Gibbs did say something once about getting a dear John letter, but I can't imagine the director ever doing something like that, maybe she would I mean she was young right and Ducky always says people do foolish things when they're young, oh Ducky he worked with them or Ziva they'll know, hey do you think if we find Jenny then that means she and Gibbs with confess their feelings and get together ooooh and they can have millions of beautiful babies" Abby ranted without taking a breath.

Jasper nodded to himself maybe finding his daughter would mean a happy ending for them all.

TBC….

**Suggestions? I want to stretch it out but I don't know how to.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Special agent Gibbs" a familiar voice bellowed making Gibbs stop dead in his tracks and turn to look up at the catwalk.

As his eyes fixated on the catwalk Gibbs could have sworn it was Jenny glaring at him from in front of MTAC, her green eyes boring into his, her long red hair framing her beautiful face as she glared at him the best she could, he couldn't help but smile, then realised how stupid he must look, staring at Vance and smiling creepily.

"My office now" Vance yelled at Gibbs once more before storming off to his office, Jenny's old office, tooth pick in his mouth.

Gibbs ran a tired hand down his face, the nightmare from the night before still playing in his mind, Jenny dying and he being unable to stop it.

It summarised how he felt at that moment, helpless, helpless because he loved her, he would always love her and this love was leading him to start to believe she was actually alive but his head, oh his head was screaming at him to put her to rest, like he'd done to Shannon and Kelly, put every memory, every thought and memento of her and put it all in box and label it Jenny and leave it un opened, un touched for years to collect dust, to never open it up again.

"You'd better get up there boss, Vance doesn't sound happy" Tony told Gibbs after a moment, none of the team ever having been a fan of their new director, perhaps Tim like him in a way impressed by Vance's computer skills, to the others he was just a snivelling, cold hearted man who needed a good tooth pick to the eye.

"He's never happy" Gibbs grumbled before heading the stairs and taking them two at a time before heading to the director's office.

Vance almost jumped out of his skin when Gibbs barged in making the door bang loudly, "What do you want?" Gibbs almost growled at him, he would never have anywhere near the amount of respect for Vance as he had for Jenny her being director or not.

"Who is that man that you escorted into the building today and seem to be working with?" Vance asked, his soulless brown eyes boring into Gibbs' blue.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know who he is?" Gibbs asked, glaring at the man opposite.

Vance jaw stiffened and he sat back in his chair "Fine, what is he doing here?" he asked Gibbs, confused why the father of the dead director would be here.

"He just wants to be closer to his daughter, you can't deny a man that" Gibbs said before turning to leave, tired and bored of talking to Vance, but his voice stopped him.

"She is dead Gibbs" Vance spoke, his voice wavering just slightly, Gibbs' only response was to nod to him over his shoulder. Gibbs was torn, half believed what Vance had just told him, the other, well the other half still had hope.

Vance just sat scowling at the door as it swung close, he didn't like this, he didn't like this one bit.

….

Gibbs rounded the corner of the bullpen, feeling more emotionally drained than ever, he just wanted a solid yes or no to the question of her being alive.

"Are you okay Gibbs?" Ziva asked as the older man zoomed past her desk.

"Going for coffee" he grumbled moving back past Ziva with his badge and gun before heading the elevator.

The Israeli women looked over at Tony who sat opposite her and gave him a worried look, he just shrugged his shoulder and shook his head, telling her just to leave it and that Gibbs would be fine.

A while later Gibbs walked into his usual coffee shop, one that Jenny had shown him years ago, as a probie she'd bumped into him making him spill his coffee and the next morning he found a fresh cup on his desk, when he'd taken a sip it had been the best coffee he'd ever tasted, she hadn't given the location up easily but eventually after all his teasing and a flutter of his blue eyes she gave in.

"Got your usual waiting for you and I'll put it on your tab" The barista told Gibbs, handing him his coffee, being a regular for many years they had learnt that he came every two and a half hours or so for a black Jamaican blend coffee.

Gibbs only grumbled before putting a tip in the tip jar walking out, his coffee in hand, he then walked along the quiet road before following a winding path down an alleyway where at the end it came out onto to a vast, green park, trees and benches dotted around and full of people walking dogs or parents with their children.

He spotted a familiar person on a bench not far off, he walked over and sat down next to them, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You must really be stuck on this case if you need my help" FBI agent Tobias Fornell spoke commented to Gibbs before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Not sure who I can trust at NCIS" Gibbs admitted, Vance had always give him the creeps "Plus you owe me" he added after a moment.

"You do realise that looking into this is completely ridiculous" Fornell told Gibbs, his voice full of humour and how insane it all sounded.

"Did you find anything?" Gibbs asked him.

Fornell looked at Gibbs with a little smile "Maybe you should go and visit the library" he spoke in code.

Gibbs really wasn't in the mood for code talks "What?" he asked his voice full of confusion.

"You should _go to the library _and_ read a book_" Fornell stressed to him.

"Got any suggestions on a book?" Gibbs asked with a slight smirk. Hope was back in his eyes.

…..

"Oh what about when Abby found a pair of her underwear in her car!" Tony reminded them all through a chuckle.

Abby and Jasper had been bored down in her lab so had come up to see if the team had something but instead they all ended up sat around talking about Jenny. Abby was perched on the edge of Tim's desk while Jasper sat in a spare chair by the front of Gibbs' desk.

"You labelled it directors crap" Tony pointed at Abby as they all laughed even Jasper chuckled.

"I can't believe we drew straws to see who would have to give them back to her, I mean we should have just thought of Gibbs first" Abby smiled at the memory.

"Gibbs?" Jasper said questioningly.

"It wouldn't be as awkward for Gibbs to give them to the director….Jenny" Tim stumbled, how he often found himself calling her director.

"They were close?" Jasper asked, yes he'd already asked Abby but he wanted to know from the others perspectives.

"Yes" Ziva spoke, "We worked together for years in an anti-terrorism group, she often spoke of Gibbs or at least I think it was Gibbs, she never named him" she told Jasper.

"What did she say?" Jasper asked, almost leaning forward on his chair towards her.

"She said she fell in love with her previous partner but left him for a promotion and it was the biggest mistake of her life" Ziva remembered when Jenny had told her this, one night when they had gotten drunk.

Jasper couldn't help but think that he and his death might have something to do with his death, with her giving up on love to do something stupid like avenge his death.

"Remember when Ducky told us that story of how she stole a boat and saved ducky and Gibbs from prison?" Tim asked after a moment bring them all back from their thoughts, Jasper was impressed at this, that his daughter would do such a thing for the people she loved, it sounded an awful lot like something that her mother would do or he would like to think he would do.

"Hey, you don't get paid to just sit around, we have work to do!" Gibbs' voice bellowed as he walked around the corner of the bullpen, a manila folder under his arm.

"You got something boss?" Tony asked noticing the folder, as everyone scrambled back to their desks.

"I might just have something DiNozzo" Gibbs said with an uncharacteristic grin.

TBC….

**Hope you guys like this.**

**Where should Jenny be?**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What is in the folder?" Jasper asked, eyeing Gibbs suspiciously as the special agent sat down at his desk and carefully unwound the red string from the back and opened it.

"The file on Jenny's death" Gibbs told Jasper as the other man wheeled the spare chair over to in front of Gibbs' desk and sat down opposite Gibbs.

Gibbs pulled out the paper from the file, he huffed when he saw that most of it was blacked out, so Vance and the other people above where hiding something about Jenny's 'death', something Gibbs didn't already know.

He continued to flipped through the file, he stopped when he saw a picture of Jenny's supposed dead body, although there was a possibility this wasn't real, that it was a dummy body or her but not really dead, it still hit him hard, seeing this all again brought the emotions and thoughts back of the day his world had fallen apart for the third time.

Forgetting that Jasper was sitting there opposite him he let the picture fall on to his desk, he only remembered that Jenny's dad was opposite him when he heard Jasper gasp, "Is that…?" he asked his voice shaky with emotion, it hadn't hit him that his daughter, his baby girl supposedly died a year ago until seeing a picture of her body lying on the floor, almost like she was asleep but she was covered in bed.

Ziva heard the emotion in Jasper's voice and looked over to Gibbs' desk and saw the scene unfold, she got out of her seat and approached the older man "Jasper, would you like to get a cup of tea or coffee in the break room and I can show you the pictures I promised I would earlier?" Ziva suggested, knowing that it all might be better if Jasper was distracted, so Gibbs and the rest of the team could put their heads down and find Jenny.

"That would be lovely" Jasper nodded, blinking back to the tears from the previous emotions he had felt, he needed his daughter to be alive, he couldn't out live his daughter, but he knew she was alive, otherwise who had sent him the letter? Why would somebody send him a letter, pretending to be his daughter?

Gibbs made sure that Jasper was a safe distance away before he continued to go through Jenny's file, but there wasn't anything he didn't know, there was nothing new, just a mysterious page, a whole page the was blacked out, his curiosity was heightened, he wondered what it said, possible that Jenny was put into witness protection.

"GIBBS GIBBS GIBBS GIBBBBBBSSSS!" Abby screeched as she ran into the bullpen, tottering on her black, clunky boots as she ran.

"What Abs?" he asked his head shooting up, Tim and Tony also staring at Abby, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"I…I think…." Abby began to talk through her pants of breath "I think I've found where she might be" she told Gibbs.

"Where?" Gibbs asked standing up from his desk, he felt like his heart had stopped beating, like he was no longer breathing, he was just waiting for Abby to speak, for her to give him a slight glimmer of hope that she might be alive, that there was hope for them together or at least that he would get the chance to tell her how he felt.

"Don't you want to know how I did it thought?" she asked him, obviously proud of herself for finding out where Jenny had been hiding.

"Later Abby, just tell us what you found" Tony told her, seeing how Gibbs was already looking impatient, not that he ever had patients in the first place.

Abby sighed, "Right" she nodded to herself "You were right, she was put into witness protection, the file blacked out her new name and the address but what wasn't blacked out was the state and so i looked for similar lakes to the one Jasper showed me and I found there was one in a little town in Pennsylvania, the towns not far from Stillwater actually" she concluded before handing Gibbs the paper with the name of the town on it.

"I'll go with you boss" Both Tony and Tim told him at the same time as they both stood up and grabbed their guns and badges.

Jasper and Ziva came walking into the bullpen, all eyes on them "Did you find something?" Jasper asked with hope in his green eyes.

"Abby found the name of the town she's living in" Tim told them.

"You did, so she's alive?" Jasper said, his eyes once again brimming with tears "She did send me the letters?" he asked them and everyone nodded.

"Jasper your coming with me" Gibbs told him "Everyone else stay here, unless I say otherwise" Gibbs added as he walked out from behind his desk "Also keep an eye on Vance" he added before leading Jasper to the elevator.

…..

After a four hour journey full of mostly awkward silence, they arrived in the small town a couple of miles away from Stillwater, the very town Gibbs had visited a couple of months ago and he hadn't even known how close he was to her.

"What's the plan?" Jasper spoke as Gibbs pulled up in the middle of a high street, long row of shops.

"Plan?" Gibbs asked Jasper with a sighed as he turned to look at him.

"I mean, how are we going to find her here?" he asked Gibbs.

Gibbs reached into the back of the car and pulled out the manila file from earlier and pulled out a photo of Jenny when she'd become the director of NCIS all those years ago, "We'll show them this, ask if they recognise her" he explained.

"And if they ask why we want to talk to her?" the older man asked trying to cover all of his bases.

"I'll show them this" Gibbs indicated to his NCIS badge on his belt before finally getting out of the car.

"Got it" Jasper nodded before he himself got out of the car and began to follow Gibbs down the road, they stopped outside a coffee shop and then Gibbs walked in so Jasper followed him in.

"Can I help you?" A rather large women, black hair framing her face, her cheeks red and ruddy, she eyed the stranger for a moment, not having ever seen them around the town.

"NCIS agent Gibbs and Coronal Shepard" Gibbs said holding his badge "Have you ever seen this women?" he asked holding the picture of Jenny up for the women to see.

"I think so, I mean she's a little bit older perhaps, she only comes in every two weeks though, always orders black Jamaican blend coffee, sits for hours drinking three, four cups, I mean that can't be healthy right" the women began to go on a ran the size Abby would be proud of.

"Do you know a name or address?" Jasper asked, pushing in beside Gibbs.

"Ummm, no no I don't , I'm sorry, is she in trouble?" the women asked after a moment.

"No not at all" Jasper smiled at him before dragging a furious Gibbs away and out of the coffee shop. "Well that was something" he said as they walked down a street.

"Yeah at least we know she's here" Gibbs grumbled as he followed Jasper, they decided to go to the grocery store next.

A women, a little bit older than jack, owned the store, "You boys looking for anything in particular?" the women asked them as she finished stocking a shelf with canned goods.

"Were looking for this women, do you know who she is?" Jasper asked showing her the picture of Jenny.

"Oh I know her, she's Genevieve Sullivan, she comes in once every two weeks, she lives on the edge of town moved here about six months ago to recover from some accident she had, if you ask me an abusive husband or boyfriend, I mean she always said know to when my son Danny asked her out, even just as friends" she ranted just like the other women had done, must be something about the two and gossip.

"Do you know where abouts she lives on the edge of town?" Gibbs asked her.

"If you head west out of town, it's the last house, by itself, it used to be run down but she did it up real nice, white picket fences, flowers growing everywhere but she always buys Phalaenopsis orchids when she come to town"

"Her favourite" Gibbs accidently said out loud.

"Sorry what?" the women asked looking at Gibbs.

"Nothing" Gibbs grumbled before changing the subject "Thank you for your help" he nodded to the women before turning on his heels and Jasper followed him.

Minutes later they arrived outside the small house on the edge of town, it was just how the women had described it, small white washed, surrounded by a white picket fence and flowers surrounding everything, a cobbled stone path led to the front door.

Both men were nervous, worried this women wouldn't be the women they had both loved and lost. Worried that if it was her, she would run and that they would never be able to find them again or that she would be mad at them for not finding her sooner.

"Just like ripping of a band aid" Jasper told Gibbs with a comforting smile before getting out of the car, Gibbs took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves before getting out of the car, following him.

They walked up the garden path and soon reached a front door, Jasper raised a shaky hand to the door before knocking.

The sound of a dog barking reached their ears, before they knew it the door opened, the head of a German Shepard pocked out the front door "Bear get back" A familiar voice called before a hand came out and pushed the dog back.

"Can I hel…." The voice came as the door opened, to reveal Jenny, her hair resting just at her elbows, her hair still red thick and glossy, her eyes green still full of the same life as it used to be, she wore a green jumper that hugged her curves and tight fitting blue jeans, her feet bare showing the chipped red nail polish on her toes.

"Hello Jennifer" Jasper grinned at her, his eyes watery as he took in the sight of his daughter all grown up, who he hadn't seen in over a decade.

Jenny's mouth hung open, she stuttered but she didn't form any sentences, her vision stuck on her father and then moved to Gibbs, who stood awkwardly behind Jasper, "No" she muttered before moving back inside her house and slamming the door in their faces.

TBC…

**Bit of a crap chapter but I hope you guys like. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The moment the door was shut, her legs gave way, she slid to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest she rested her head in her knees muffling a sob.

Her heart was beating fast making her breathing shallow, her mind whizzing trying to process everything that had happened, how her life had once changed within minutes of her finally feeling settled.

They were standing on her doorstep, they were the other side of the door, they'd come for her, they'd found her, just like she'd so often fantasised and she'd shoved the door in their face.

Jenny rested her head against the door behind her, closing her eyes as the impact made a small clunk sound. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and began to think of the two men on her doorstep.

Jasper, he was her father, the man whom she'd spent years trying to avenge, trying to make proud even though she'd thought him dead. Then just as she was about to make herself a cold blooded murderer in her father's name, he came out of his shadows and had held her as she'd cried, thankful he'd come to stop her from ruining her life but as soon as he'd appeared he'd gone again, only leaving an address for her to write too, which she'd done frequently, obviously not telling him that she'd 'died' and she herself was now in witness protection herself.

Then there was Jethro. He was a man she'd loved and lost so many times and wasn't sure she was ready to do again. Yes perhaps if she'd never left him almost a decade ago in the city of love or if she'd let them rekindle what they'd once had four years ago when she'd returned as director, things may have been different, she may not be in this situation, but she still would have the nagging feeling in the back of her head that made her question whether he really did love her or if she was just another one of his conquests.

Bear, her fluffy German shepherd rested his head in her lap, even though he was only one he was now more or less fully grown and the only friend she'd had in the past year, the only connection to the past, looking at Bear made her think of Jethro, the German Shepherd that Abby had taken in and then that in turn made her think of talking to Gibbs in the elevator. How his eyes had turned a deep, dark blue that she hadn't ever seen before. How he'd spoke with such concern and care as he asked her if she was sick. All she'd wanted to do was tell him what she had planned but then she knew that he would do everything in his power to stop it, he'd find another way than her disappearing, he always would, he was Gibbs. He never played by the rules, that was his charm, that's why she was still hopelessly in love with him.

The redhead ran a hand through the longer fur at the nape of Bear's neck and pressed a small kiss to his black nose "What am I going to do?" she asked him, his soft brown eyes meeting her green.

There came another nock at the door "Please Jennifer" she heard her father's voice plead "We just want to talk, please" he continued.

The dog lifted his head off of his owners lap and began to bark loudly and started to jump up at the door as he barked. Jenny was quick to her feet and pushed the dog away from the door "Bear stop it" she scolded the dog lightly.

She then turned to the mirror handing in the hall beside her, she pulled her jumper down, straightened her jeans and then noticed how her hair was slightly messy so ran a hand through it to let his fall naturally before taking a deep breath.

It wasn't seeing her father that had made her shut the door, she'd always expected her would find her eventually, it was Gibbs, she hadn't expected her father to go to him, she'd told Jasper to if he was in trouble but he didn't think he would go to Gibbs to find her.

She'd heart Gibbs so much and she just didn't know if she could face it, face him, him being angry and hurt with her, hearing that he'd probably moved on quite quickly, he was probably married to some scanky redhead who didn't deserve him.

Spinning on her heels Jenny reached out and gripped the handle and was about to open the front door when Bear began to bark profusely in a completely different room. Her curiosity was spiked so she grabbed her spare sig from the phone cabinet draw and went in search for what her dog was barking at.

Being as light footed as she could she slipped through the open plan living room come dining room, she then walked into the conservatory and then walked out on to the small decking area "Bear" she whispered to the cold late winter, early spring air.

Bear had stopped barking and she wondered why but then she noticed something at the bottom of her cornered of garden, it made her stop dead in her tracks and loos most of her train of thought.

Gibbs was kneelt on the ground, rubbing Bears stomach as the dog lay on his back submissively. She took in the sight of him, his jeans were ripped as if they had been caught on a fence, she presumed that might be due to the fact he'd probably climbed over her fence. As she thought earlier he always liked to find another way.

As Jenny looked at her ex-lover more closely she realised he hadn't changed a bit in the last year, his hear was still the same salt and pepper, his eyes still the most mesmerizing blue she'd seen, his face still the same, his dress sense the same.

"Bear" Jenny called to the dog as she slipped her gun into the back of her jeans, the dog's ear perked up and he looked at her, his tongue hanging out. "Come here boy" she called once again, she let a triumphant smile grace her lips as the dog came bounding towards her, she hugged him "Did that mean man scare you?" she asked Bear in a sort of baby tone before looking over at Gibbs who was walking towards her, his blue eyes glittering in the warm light of the sun.

"Jethro" she spoke his name as if still trying to convince herself that he was really there.

"Jen" He mimicked her, still not able to believe that she was alive, that he hadn't really had to say his last goodbye all those months ago, that he was getting a third…heck maybe this was his fourth chance to tell her that all he wanted, all he'd ever need was her.

"My dad didn't want to try jumping the fence then?" she asked him, wanting them to go back to their teasing ways, back to how they'd been at the beginning, before she'd been the ice queen before he'd been her chief bastard.

Gibbs almost chuckled and shrugged his shoulders "You know me, always like a challenge"

"Yeah getting out of one or making one for me" She snickered making him smile at her.

"Jen I…." Gibbs began but Jenny cut him off. She wasn't ready for what she thought was coming, for what she wasn't ready to hear, for what she wasn't ready to admit out loud.

"I should let dad in" Jenny mumbled before turning away, not letting him tell her what he'd regret year not telling her meanwhile she couldn't help but feel how strange it was to have a 'dad' again.

He followed Jenny, across the decking and into the house. As he walked through the living room, through the corridors, he was reminded by the farm house that they had lived in in Serbia, had a homely feeling and something that was just pure Jenny,

When he finally reached the hallway he stopped in his tracks, in front of him Jenny was hugging her father and he hugged her back, he let a small smile grace his features before slipping away to explore more of her house, not wanting to ruin the moment between father and daughter.

Jasper had been shocked when he'd turned round minutes after his daughter having shut the door in his face to not find Gibbs beside him but standing to the side of the house staring at the fence with a half smirk plastered on his face.

He hadn't believed that the special agent would really do such a thing, but he had. Jasper watched as Gibbs climbed over the fence, mumbling a curse word when he'd got his jeans caught on a loose nail. Maybe it was a testament to how much he loved Jenny after all.

Then moments later the front door opened to reveal a nervous looking Jenny, she'd stood aside and motioned with her head for him to come in, once inside they'd stood staring at one another for a moment before Jasper pulled his little girl in for a hug, one that was long overdue.

Jenny felt like she was ten all over again, being enveloped in her father's safe arms, his head resting on hers. She felt like he'd been away on a long tour in the army and she was just getting him back and she didn't want him to leave her again, at least not for a long while.

"I've missed you Jelly bean" Jasper told her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Jenny smiled at the use of his nickname for her "I've missed you dad" she told him into his chest.

…

Two hours later they sat in Jenny's dining room. They'd got dinner from a local Chinese takeaway that Gibbs had noticed on his way into town.

After the drive down this afternoon and the looking for Jenny both Jasper and Gibbs were pretty tired but decided that they needed to clear the air before going to sleep.

"If it hadn't been for Gibbs I wouldn't have found you" Jasper grinned at his daughter who sat next to him, Gibbs sat opposite Jenny.

"Just doing my job" Gibbs mumbled before taking another sip of his second glass of bourbon.

Jenny almost glared at Gibbs from across the table "How is it you found me? Those witness protection papers are only for very high clearance, clearance you don't have" she eyed him carefully.

"A friend owed me a favour" Gibbs glared back at her.

The redhead scoffed into her own tumbler of bourbon that she was drinking from "You'll have to thank Fornell for me" she told him to which Gibbs just nodded at her.

Jasper noticed their seemed to be unresolved tension between the two, just what he'd anticipated, both still in love with the other but not admitting it. Jenny just being stubborn like her mother. "All that really matters is that we know the truth and we are here now" Jasper reminded both Jenny and Gibbs to which they nodded in agreement with the older man.

"Now I don't know about you two but it's been a long and emotional day, I'm going to bed" Jasper stood from the table "Goodnight Jennifer" he smiled at his daughter before kissing her on the forehead and then nodded to Gibbs before retiring to the guest bedroom Jenny had shown him to earlier.

The redhead took a deep breath before getting up out of her own seat and picking up the dishes and putting them in the sink, she didn't even realise that Gibbs was standing right behind her until she turned around and found him standing so close.

Gibbs hadn't even realised how close they really were until she'd turned around so he backed away slowly, "We need to talk" he told her.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow I'm really tired" she told him, her voice almost whining like it did when they were in Paris and he wasn't listening to her.

"No, I have questions I want answered and can't sleep not knowing" he admitted, Jenny nodded and so Gibbs took a breath before asking "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

His blue eyes went the same shade as when he'd asked her if she was sick, it almost made her knees buckle so she gripped the side behind her for support "I knew that if I told you, you'd find another way to stop Svetlana and not ruin the integrity of NCIS and I couldn't let you find another way, this was my mess, I didn't kill her and I ruined NCIS by getting so caught up with La Grenouille" she explained.

"Your right" Gibbs nodded his head "I would have tried to find another way but what you got wrong is that it wasn't your mess, Svetlana was my mess too I should have known you couldn't kill anyone you hadn't before and it was such high stakes and you didn't ruin NCIS, you were the best thing that ever happened to it" he told her, his hands resting on her shoulders and so he squeezed them gently to comfort her.

Jenny nodded "I've missed you Jethro" she smiled at him.

"I've missed you too Jen" he assured her, his hand traveling to her face and he let his thumb gently brush away a stray tear.

"How are the team?" She asked, they were her second family after all.

"Losing you was hard but their better now, Vance is…..well Vance isn't you" he chuckled at the thought.

"What did he do?" Jenny asked sensing there was something about Vance that he wasn't telling her.

"Well right after your funeral he split the team up but I got them back" he assured her when she'd looked at him with a worried look.

They spoke for what to them felt like many hours but in reality was only one. He'd caught her up on everything she missed, every case, every goofy moment while she told him about her new life, how she'd decided to get Bear.

Soon Jenny felt tired and got up to go to bed only to remember he'd said he would take the sofa letting her father have the only other room she had, she looked at him as he laid down on her lumpy, half price sofa and knew he would sleep because he was a marine, marines could sleep anywhere but she still felt guilty.

"Come on" She told him with a small smile as he got up from the sofa "You can share my bed" she told him.

"You sure?" he asked her.

"We're adults, I think we can handle ourselves" she told him, knowing it would be a little awkward for the two ex's to share a bed.

Soon they were in her bedroom, Gibbs having already changed into sweatpants and an old marine corp t-shirt, he lay in the side of the bed she didn't seem to sleep on, waiting for her to come in and turn out the lights so they could sleep.

Moments later the redhead emerged from the en-suite bathroom wearing shorts and an old NCIS t-shirt that he was one hundred percent sure used to belong to him many many years ago, to him she looked absolutely gorgeous, perfect.

"What are you staring at?" She asked him as she walked over to turn out the lights.

"Nothing" Gibbs assured her as he watched her walk across the room, sure that she was adding an extra sway to her hips for him.

Once the lights were out Jenny got into her side of the bed, trying to be as far away from him as she possibly could, worried that she might not be able to control herself if she fully realised she was sharing a bed with him once again.

During the night though, neither could explain how they found one another in their sleep and he protectively wrapped her up in his arms while she snuggled deep into his embrace.

TBC….

**Suggestions on what to do next? How do I get Jibbs together? **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning Gibbs woke, he woke feeling more rested than he had in years, in fact maybe he hadn't felt this well rested since Paris. Opening his eyes he let a small smile grace his lips, he took in a sight that he hadn't seen in almost a decade.

Jenny lay in his arms, her eyelids softly closed, her mouth open just a little, her hair sprawled out behind her while her hands gripped his shirt tightly, all as it used to be, when they were together, when they were in love.

He wanted so badly to kiss her awake, just like he used to, she looked so tempting, so beautiful, he couldn't help himself, he lifted a hand from her waist and went to brush a strand of her red hair out of her face but her hand flew up and grabbed his wrist, stopping his action.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, her voice a little muffled by her face resting against his chest and her eyes still closed.

"Uh um….." he had to think of a plausible lie quickly otherwise she might shoot him or do something worse that she'd threatened to do many times, "I was just trying to get up and not disturb you" he admitted.

One of Jenny's eyes opened and eyed him sceptically "Always be specific when you lie" she told him before pushing herself away from him, slightly annoyed at herself that she didn't seem to have any control to not fall into his arms the moment she got the chance.

Gibbs smiled at her before he made his other arm let go of her waist and he then slipped out of her bed, "Bathroom?" Gibbs asked her, not sure where it was.

"You can use me ensuite" Jenny told him, pointing to a door to the left of her.

"Thanks he grumbled before going over to the chair by her vanity table and picking up the old green duffle bag he'd left there the night before with everything he'd need in it.

Once she heard the door lock she internally screamed, there was no away she could sit in her bedroom when just through the door beside her he was naked, she took a deep breath before slipping out of her bed and heading down stairs, all of a sudden in a dire need for a coffee and a distraction from the fact he was naked only a few feet from her.

…

When the redhead entered the kitchen Bear came bounding towards her, his tail wagging and his tongue handing out of his mouth, she pressed a kiss to his soft head before patting the German shepherd.

"Good morning Jennifer" she looked up from her dog to see her father finishing himself a cup of tea.

"Morning" Jenny smiled at him weakly, it all still seemed to weird, having her father back in her life, I mean yes she'd written to him but she hadn't had him stand in front of her, in flesh and blood.

He watched his daughter cross the kitchen with such grace that he'd only seen her mother possess, seeing his little girl all grown up made him feel old, to Jasper it had felt like it had only been five minutes ago that he'd taught her how to ride her bike, watched her ice skate at Christmas time, take her trick or treating and Halloween, watch her make a wish on her birthday.

It also made him realise what Jenny was missing, she didn't have a child or children of her own, she wasn't happily married like he was, it made him that perhaps it was his fault, if she hadn't been so hell bent on revenge for so many years maybe she could have settled down.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked her father, noticing the distant look in his green eyes as he sat at her kitchen table.

"huh…Yeah I'm fine" he assured her with a slight shake of his head, "Jennifer I have something I have to tell you" he decided now was the right time to tell her about Susan.

"Okay" Jenny began to worry a little about what it might be, she grabbed her freshly brewed coffee and went and sat down at the kitchen table opposite him.

She watched her father take a deep breath and swallow a lump in his throat before he spoke "The thing is um….I'm married" he told her, he'd just got her back and was afraid that this would ruin it.

"You are?" Jenny spoke in a light cheery voice and had a genuine smile on her face, "Tell me about her" Jenny prompted.

"You don't mind?" Jasper asked, still a little unsure of himself, looking at his daughter in disbelief.

"Mind…Why would I mind?" She asked him before reaching across the table and taking his hands in hers "All I care about dad is that you're happy" she told him, "Now tell me" she added.

"Well, her name is Susan" Jasper began "I met her about three months after I came into witness protection, we were friends for about a year and a half before we got together then got married just about ten years ago, she knows all about me, who I am" he told her "She knows about you" he added his green eyes meeting his daughters.

"She sounds great" Jenny smiled at her father before taking a sip of her coffee.

"How about you Jelly bean, anyone special?" he asked her, he knew that Gibbs loved her, he'd nodded slightly when he'd asked him as much and also why would this guy help him find his daughter otherwise, he just wondered if she felt the same.

Jenny looked down at her coffee for a moment "No" she shook her head "Not in a really long time" she added.

"So there has been someone?" Jasper asked her, wanting to know if it was Gibbs, sure from what everyone had told him that they had some sort of past together.

She nodded slightly "Many years ago" she admitted, her eyes still not being able to meet his, thinking he would disappointed with her and she could never handle that, him being disappointed.

"What happened?" Jasper asked her, leaning across the table and touching her arm gently.

"I let him go" She admitted "twice" she added. It was all such a mess.

"There's still time to get him back" her father assured her.

Jenny smiled but shook her head at the same time before finally looking at her father with watery green eyes "I don't think he feels the same anymore and even if he did, he would never give me another chance after I rejected him twice"

Jasper gave her a knowing smile "You never know, he may surprise you" he told her before going to drink his tea.

Unbeknownst to Jasper and Jenny, the very man in question was standing outside the kitchen and had heard every words they'd said.

...

Half an hour later Jenny had gotten dressed for the day and was trying to stick to her normal routine and that included taking Bear for a walk in the fields behind her small house.

"Where you going?" Gibbs asked when he noticed her dressed to go out and a dog leash in her hand.

"I'm taking Bear for a walk" she told him as she motioned for the dog to come to her from Gibbs' side so she could clip the leash to his collar.

"Would you like some company?" he asked her after a moment, he wanted to spend some time alone with her, test the waters of whatever it was that was going on between them, see if she'd really meant he'd heard her say earlier.

"That would be nice" she nodded to him with a smile.

"Only nice" Gibbs sniggered at her, both knowing he was just joking.

"What would you rather me say?" She asked him, raising one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows.

"I dunno" Gibbs shrugged his shoulders "Enjoyable, lovely, wonderful…" he began to rattle of as many words as he could think but she cut him off.

"You took my advice and got a dictionary then" she told him with a slight smirk making him chuckle, both feeling like they were back to how they used to be, comfortable, jokey borderline flirty.

"Are you sure you both want to go out, looks like it's going to rain?" Jasper made his presence known from where he stood in the doorway.

"It won't rain" Jenny told her father, being as stubborn as ever. "Grab your gear" she joked to Gibbs before walking Bear to the back door and for once Gibbs did as he was told.

…

Half an hour later they were walking across a field, Bear was now off his leash running around but going back to Jenny and Gibbs every now and then.

They walked at a comfortable pace next to one another, so close that their hands often grazed one another sending sparks of electricity through them both, just a pleasant reminder that there was still something between them, that they did have unresolved chemistry.

"I've missed the team, I wish I could have been there" she smiled, he was catching her up on the interesting cases and the wacky going on with his team.

Gibbs nodded, he was sure if it weren't for his team he was sure he would have crumbled even more when she'd 'died', they almost kept him saner. "They miss you too" he assured her.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes shining with hope.

Gibbs nodded "Abby has a picture of you from the Christmas party framed in her office, next to one of Kate" he told her, knowing it would warm her heart and it did.

Jenny nodded "I'm surprised, I mean I was such a….." she tried to think of the right words "Such a…Bitch". Gibbs opened his mouth to protest at what she was saying but Jenny stopped him "Don't even try to deny it, it's true" she told him and so he decided to just keep his mouth shut.

They walked for a couple of minutes in a comfortable silence, keeping an eye on Bear the whole time, "So…" Jenny began after a moment, never really being one for silence, "How many times have you been married since I've been gone?" she asked him.

Gibbs let out a small laugh "Oh you know me, only four times" he joked noting that she was smiling too so she knew he was joking, "No I haven't gotten married" he told her his town turning serious.

"Fine how many girlfriends then?" She asked, knowing she was digging but she just wanted to know if there was any point in putting her heart on the line once again.

"None" Gibbs told her honestly "How many boyfriends have you had?" he asked her, also wanting to know if there was someone he would have to fight with to regain her affection.

"Well….Just between you and me there is this one guy that's stolen my heart" Jenny told him, her voice in a low whisper.

"Really?" Gibbs asked with a slight chuckle to hide how shocked and hurt he felt.

"Yeah" Jenny nodded.

"Tell me about him" Gibbs encouraged, wondered what type of man was worthy of Jennifer Shepard's affections.

"Well, he's really cute" Jenny began with a smile "Real pretty eyes, long dark hair and loves hugs" she continued.

"This lucky guy got a name?" Gibbs asked as they continue to walk through the field.

"His name is…His names Bear" she admitted, watching as realisation hit Gibbs' face, she'd been talking about her dog, the German Shepherd running around in front of them.

Gibbs laughed, she loved how he laughed, a deep rumble in his chest, it almost sent chills down her spine. "You almost had me" he admitted with another slight chuckle, oh he loved how she knew how to push his buttons, it made her and their relationship just so fun and kept him on his toes.

They stopped for a moment in the middle of a field and stood for a moment staring at each other, both took a step close, they both wanted to say something, to admit something, "I…" Gibbs began but then was interrupted by the sound of clouds breaking above them before rain began to fall fast around and on them.

Automatically Gibbs reached for Jenny's hand and spotted a partly dilapidated old barn before they made a run for it, neither minding that they really were getting soaked and so was Bear who was running after them loving the fact he was not only getting soaked but also extremely muddy.

Jenny squealed as she and Gibbs almost slipped on a patch of mud, she almost lost her footing and would have if Gibbs hadn't grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him before dragging her to the shelter.

Once they were inside they were all out of breath, even Bear, he lay on the floor panting hard. Meanwhile Jenny bent slightly and put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, "I haven't had to run like that since, well since being a field agent" Jenny puffed out.

Gibbs wasn't out as breath as she was, being and ex-marine and always on constant shape "Told yah you should have stayed a field agent" he teased her.

Jenny turned and faced him, her hair dripping wet and shivering slightly because of the cold as her body rapidly dried, "Oh come on, you loved me as the Director" She teased him, not realising what she'd let slip out. 'Loved me'.

"Yeah" Gibbs nodded taking a step closer to her, his eyes not leaving hers, he reached out and gently tucked a strand of her wet read hair behind her ear, he noted she was shivering, not sure if it was from the cold or from his action.

"Jen…I…" He began, trying to figure out how he wanted to word what he wanted to say.

"Yeah" Jenny stepped forward, wanting to hear what he was going to say.

"I…I've missed you" he told her, the same three words as four years ago on the stairs of the bullpen on her first day, she knew behind the lines, what it meant, what he was trying to say.

"I've missed you to" she smiled at him, saying the same as what he meant, it was like their own code.

Gibbs reached out and pulled Jenny close to him by her waist, her arms went around his neck and pulled him close, he reached down, she reached up and their lips slowly met in a slow and tender kiss, one that should have taken place four years ago.

TBC…

**Hope you guys like, please review and suggestions would be great.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jasper sat in the living room of Jenny's cottage, reading a book intently, one leg crossed over the other, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He looked up at the sound of the increased rain hitting the glass of the windows. He smirked to himself, he was right, it was going to rain, well it served his daughter and Gibbs right for not listening to him.

Closing his book for a moment he looked around the house, his daughter had spent almost every day of the past year in, either recovering from her injuries or just living her new life. He realised she must be lonely even if she did have a dog. He knew what being in witness protection felt like, how you felt like only a ghost of your former self.

He just wished more than anything that perhaps his daughter and Gibbs would find each other again, that they would put their stubbornness and pride behind them and just see that there was a glimmer of future for them.

All of a sudden he heard running through the house, Jasper looked over to the door and saw a soaked Bear running into the room, his tongue haunting out of his mouth and leash still attached to his colour. Obviously Jenny and Gibbs were back from their walk. "hey boy" Jasper stroked the dog's head even though the fur was soaking wet before getting out of his chair and going ins search for his daughter and Gibbs.

Soon the sound of their laughter caught his ear, he found them in the kitchen, both looking very much the part of drowned rats. Both of their hairs were messy, Jenny's more, clothes were damp and covered in flecks of mud, yet they both had bright smiles on their faces and eyes were shinning. Something had happened between them.

"You two get caught in the rain?" He asked as he leant against the door jamb, a small smile on his face. So happy for them, loving now he could tease them both.

A slight blush rose on Jenny's cheek, "Something like that" she told him with a small smile, "I'm going to go change" she mumbled then moved from Gibbs' side and walking out of the kitchen, knowing that Gibbs was watching her every move.

Once the sound of her footsteps quietened Jasper turned to Gibbs "Your hurt her…" he trailed off, it had been a long time since he'd been able to threaten a guy about hurting his daughter, it felt good.

"Wouldn't dream of it" Gibbs told Jasper honestly before pushing off of the cabinet behind him and going over to the coffee pot and going to make coffee knowing Jenny would want it when she came down the stairs.

…

Later Gibbs had decided he was going to make dinner for them all so he went out to the local store to buy food, Jasper and Jenny had offered to go with him but he wanted it to be a surprise.

Jasper and Jenny were sitting in the living room, both reading a book, both wearing their reading glasses, they sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound, their breathing and the sound of the pages as they were turned.

"Jelly bean" Jenny looked up upon hearing her father's use of his nickname for her.

"Yeah" she answered him, marking the page in her book and closing it.

"So what's happening with you and Gibbs?" he asked her, he wanted to know, what it changed, if it meant she would be going back to D.C.

"Umm, we haven't really talked about it" she admitted they'd hardly spoken since the kiss, she wasn't even sure if this was anything, if it had just been an in the moment thing.

"Maybe you should talk to him" Jasper told her.

"We will, when we have time" Jenny assured her father, he'd always looked out for her, well he was her father and he loved her and didn't want her to get hurt. "So when do I get to meet my stepmother?" she asked her father with a smile.

Jasper smiled, he'd never thought of Susan as Jenny's stepmother, to be honest he couldn't wait for his two girls to meet "I don't know, maybe you can come visit me and Susan some time in Arizona" he told her.

"I would like that" Jenny told her father with a nod.

"Maybe your friends in D.C can come too" the older man suggested after a while.

Jenny looked up, her green eyes meeting his green eyes, he saw the sadness and wondered what he'd said wrong. In truth she hadn't thought about them , she hadn't thought that they knew she was alive now, that they might want to see her, that she might get to see them again, the people who were so close, close like family, the closest thing she had to family.

"You okay Jelly Bean?" Jasper asked his daughter after a moment, reaching across to the other chair and taking hold of her hand where it rested on the arm of the chair.

"I'm fine, just never thought of seeing them again" she admitted, looking down at the hardwood floor under her feet.

"I could tell they care for you Jennifer" he told her, smiling at her "They all spoke fondly of you" he added.

"What did they tell you, I was a total bitch to them all before I left" Jenny almost said with a laugh, she regretted for hurting them all, Tony she'd got him involved in something when he was in way over his head, Ziva had once been one of her best friends and she'd cast her aside and barely spoke to her, Abby had always tried to cheer her up and all Jenny had done was be bitchy, Tim well She hadn't been as close to him and was probably rude to him.

"No, no they only showed respect for them" Jasper assured her before moving away slightly. "Now tell me what happened on your walk" he told her with a smirk, Jenny tolled her eyes before opening her book, she was well past the age she had to tell him about her boyfriend.

…

Hours later, the day was almost over. Gibbs had grilled steaks and baked potatoes for dinner, a side of asparagus all smothered in a pepper corn sauce, Jenny's favourite and of course as their normal tradition, she gave him half of her steak while she nicked his asparagus, Jasper had sat opposite them and noticed it all and felt so happy for them.

Gibbs sat in Jenny's bed, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, he was happy that unlike last night he could hold her as they fell asleep and he wouldn't be questioned about it in the morning.

He was worried though, she been a little quite since dinner, all the way through the film they'd been watching she'd had a distant look in her eyes, like there was something was on her mind.

Hearing the bathroom door close, he looked over and saw Jenny walking out of the bathroom, she still had the lost look in her eyes.

"Hey" Gibbs called to her as she approached the bed.

"Hi" the redhead broke from her spell as she got into the bed and moved closer to him, "Thank you for dinner" she told him "It was really good" she added before reaching across and kissing him, really kissing him for the first time since the old shed earlier.

Gibbs ran his hands down her back, going to her hips and squeezing them gently while one of her hands went to his neck and the other went to his hair, tugging the silver locks gently in an attempt to deepen the kiss.

They broke apart when they were out of breath, they almost laughed as they looked into each other's eyes, both in a state of delirious happiness, after all these years, after all the crap, they were finally together, but the more Gibbs looked into Jenny's eyes he saw there was something on her mind.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked her pushing a lock of her red hair behind her ear, his voice and eyes full of concern.

"Jethro" Jenny smiled at him as she brushed her hands through his short silver hair again. "Where are we going from here?" she asked him, tracing his facial features carefully with her finger.

"Paris" Gibbs joked.

Jenny smiled before she jibbed him in the leg with her own leg, "As lovely as that would be, I think you know what I mean"

"We can do whatever you want" he assured her.

"Anything?" Jenny asked raising an eyebrow at him "So if I wanted you to stay here with me…" she trailed off as she looked deep into his eyes.

"Just say the word" He assured her making her smile "What is it you want?" he asked her, his voice soft.

"I want to go home" she told him.

"Back to D.C?" he asked her, a little surprise, she nodded slightly "But what about being in witness protection?" he asked her.

Jenny smiled, he always wanted to look out for her, "I'm always safe with you" she told him "I want to be back in D.C, get to see you and the team"

Gibbs nodded and smiled at her "Well the only way I can keep you safe is if you move in with me" he told her.

The redhead broke out into a big grin and as she pushed Gibbs over so he was on his back and she straddled his waist, leant her head down to rest on top of his, her red hair falling around them like a curtain "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, is that an offer?" she asked him, her lips so close to his.

"Just an observation" he grinned before their lips met once again in a kiss.

TBC…

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